There was a man lingering outside their building. She could see him in the dusky evening light, and more clearly each time he neared one of the streetlights. He seemed to be circling their building, because Abrianna observed that he would move down the alleyway and then turn to the right. After this he was gone for several minutes and finally would show up on the left reentering the alley. Who was he and did he mean harm to them or others? She picked up the fireplace poker and gripped the cold iron in her hand. What should she do? If he was of a good nature, Abrianna felt it would be her duty to warn him about the murders that had taken place. If he was the murderer, however, she might put the fear of God into his soul. Maybe he would even confess and turn himself in to the police once she finished with him. She took off her shoes to sneak down the stairs, hoping that no one would hear her exit. At the street entrance she slipped her feet back into the soft leather and reassessed her weapons.
